A builder whose work on his elderly neighbours’ home contributed to their deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning has failed to persuade the Court of Appeal that his £75,000 fine was excessive. The court ruled that a substantial fine was necessary to underline the gravity of such offences.
Mohammed Jamil had been contracted to carry out work on the garage roof at the home of Donald and Rosetta O’Sullivan. In performing the task, he partially enclosed the flue of a gas boiler leaving it in an unsafe condition. That, combined with loose screws in the boiler itself and a faulty metal flue lining, led to lethal gasses feeding back into the couple’s home. The bodies of Mr and Mrs O’Sullivan, who were aged in their seventies, were found at their home in April 2009.